The six main minichromosome maintenance proteins (Mcm2-7), which presumably constitute the core of the replicative DNA helicase, are present in chromatin in large excess relative to the number of… (More)

We describe a second primase in human cells, PrimPol, which has the ability to start DNA chains with deoxynucleotides unlike regular primases, which use exclusively ribonucleotides. Moreover, PrimPol… (More)

Replication of the human genome every time a cell divides is a highly coordinated process that ensures accurate and efficient inheritance of the genetic information. The molecular mechanism that… (More)

Cell division cycle 6 (CDC6) is an essential regulator of DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. Its best-characterized function is the assembly of prereplicative complexes at origins of replication… (More)

DNA replication forks that collapse during the process of genomic duplication lead to double-strand breaks and constitute a threat to genomic stability. The risk of fork collapse is higher in the… (More)

Bacteriophage phi 29 DNA replication is initiated when a molecule of dAMP is covalently linked to a free molecule of the terminal protein, in a reaction catalyzed by the viral DNA polymerase. We… (More)

Phage phi29 from Bacillus subtilis is a paradigm of the protein-primed replication mechanism, in which a single-subunit DNA polymerase is involved in both the specific protein-primed initiation step… (More)

DNA replication is facilitated by multiple factors that concentrate in the vicinity of replication forks. Here, we developed an approach that combines the isolation of proteins on nascent DNA chains… (More)

The SMC5/6 complex is the least understood of SMC complexes. In yeast, smc5/6 mutants phenocopy mutations in sgs1, the BLM ortholog that is deficient in Bloom's syndrome (BS). We here show that… (More)